Royal Icing Recipe That Doesn’t Dry Rock Hard

There is one thing every cookier needs in their arsenal… a favorite royal icing recipe. The royal icing recipe that I’m sharing with you today is my favorite because it is not only yummy (of course!) but it is the perfect texture. There is a not-so-secret ingredient that allows the icing to harden enough for stacking and shipping while remaining soft on the inside. No more biting into a beautifully decorated cookie and cringing because the icing is rock hard!

After trying several recipes for classic royal icing, I came across Sweet P’s recipe for Royal Glaze, a cross between royal icing and glaze. I loved her recipe because the icing did not harden as much as classic royal icing. I adapted her recipe slightly, making it the exact flavor and texture I wanted.

Begin by using a whisk to mix 5 tablespoons of meringue powder and 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar with 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix it for about 30 seconds, making sure that you get rid of all lumps.

If you are not familiar with meringue powder, it is used in royal icing as a substitute for raw eggs whites. Look, Mom, no Salmonella! It also helps to stabilize the icing and give it a nice texture. You can find it at your local craft store in the baking section or online. I started out using Wilton brand meringue powder, but have found that I prefer the taste of CK.

Now, get ready for a vicious arm workout! In a separate large bowl, sift two pounds of powdered sugar. I always make a mess doing this, so if you figure out how to do this without getting sugar everywhere, you’re a superstar in my eyes! Pssst… I heard an unconfirmed rumor that you can skip the sifting as long as you’re not doing piping with a really small tip.

Next, add the water mixture to the powdered sugar and mix it for about a minute to get it all combined. Then, add 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon of glycerin, 12 drops of white gel food coloring (optional), and your flavorings (I like to use 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon almond, and 1/4 butter). The corn syrup is an ingredient that is usually mentioned as optional in classic royal icing recipes. It adds a little gloss and elasticity to the icing. The glycerin is the not-so-secret ingredient that keeps the icing from being rock hard. You can find it in the baking section at craft stores or online. The purpose of the white gel food coloring is to make the icing a pleasant bright white instead of off white.

Now, put your mixer to work! Beat the icing on medium for about 6 to 8 minutes, until you can make a stiff peak that holds its shape. Pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing if needed.

Take a step back, lick your fingers, and smile at the fluffy white sweetness you have created!

If you are saving the royal icing for later use, I suggest storing it in Tupperware containers (that you use for icing only, see Keep Oil Out of Royal Icing for the lesson that I learned the hard way), covered with plastic wrapped, and sealed tightly.

If you are ready to start decorating, separate your icing into smaller bowls, color with gel food coloring, and add water (a tiny bit at a time) to get the consistency you want.

Well, what are you waiting for? Now that you’re a royal icing ninja, grab your sugar cookie recipe and get baking!

Use a whisk to mix together the water, meringue powder, and cream of tartar for about 30 seconds, making sure there are no lumps.

In a separate bowl, sift the powdered sugar.

Add the water mixture to the sugar and mix for one minute.

Add the corn syrup, glycerine, food coloring and flavoring.

Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks, approximately 6 to 8 minutes, pausing to scrape down the edges of the bowl if needed.

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If you’re like me, you hate stopping repeatedly in the middle of a recipe to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl. Luckily, I discovered a handy dandy little gadget called the Metro Beater Blade. This attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer has rubber wings running down both sides that scrape down the bowl as it mixes. It cuts mixing time by up to 50%! I use my Metro Beater Blade every time I make royal icing, or any other frosting, and I never have to stop to scrape down the sides of my bowl.

235 Responses to Royal Icing Recipe That Doesn’t Dry Rock Hard

It’s great that this does not dry rock hard, however, can you tell me if it does dry hard enough to be shipped in? That’s one thing I like about cookies – they are so forgiving when it comes to sending them in the mail? Thank you for your help.

I’m loving the “dries hard but still soft to bite” of this icing…my problem is that it crist over quickly making it hard to add much detail for wet-on-wet. If I add more meringue will this give me more time before the crust froms? Also, while slightly “banging and shaking smmoth, I’m getting little cracks inder the serface, any advice for blending outline and flood?

This is my GO-TO recipe. I love it!! The only thing I struggle with is getting the lumps out of the meringue powder. I think I’ve got them all and then I have to stop very frequently to unclog my piping tips. Can you offer any tips or tricks on that part? Thanks so much!

After trying other variations of royal icing recipes, I tried this for the first time. I love this! I didn’t have lumps in my icing like all the other recipes I have tried. And I love the way it dried. If I freeze the cookies, does the icing stay hard when they defrost?

Have you touched on what causes the white spots on icing? I use a glaze. I had no issues until now. Our tempartire has dropped in upstate NY. I do use a dehumidifier. It doesn’t seem to happen all the time. Almost certain colors. It just so annoying! If you can give me any advice I appreciate it. I’m am sifting a little better now, and I am going to give adding some white to icing a try.

I have an issue that it takes forever for my royal icing to dry on my cookies (sometimes a day or two). My recipe calls for meringue powder but no cream of tartar or glycerin. Will these ingredients make a difference in the drying time?